


lost in translation

by fiddle_stix



Series: nct bits and bobs [4]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, But they figure it out, Childhood Friends, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Kissing, Lack of Communication, M/M, Roommates, Somewhat, super light i promise, switches between Heated™ and soft in the same sentence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:21:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23323882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fiddle_stix/pseuds/fiddle_stix
Summary: His voice is rising now, much more than a whisper. “So what if I love you? You want me to get all lovey dovey, Mark? I’ll be sappy whenever I want, I don’t give a shit. I love you. Fuck off.”Mark is frozen.A heartbeat later Donghyuck realises that he’d slowly progressed to yelling.In the next heartbeat Donghyuck realises exactly what he just said.(Or: neither of them can figure out how to speak each other's love languages and Donghyuck really just wants to hold Mark's hand.)
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: nct bits and bobs [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1607350
Comments: 23
Kudos: 538
Collections: Markhyuck





	lost in translation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [baridalive](https://archiveofourown.org/users/baridalive/gifts).



> For [lil](https://twitter.com/baridalive) who gave me this idea in the first place (thank u so so much!) I hope it something along the lines of what you were envisioning! <3

“We can’t tell them yet.”

“What?”

Mark’s already pulling away to try and meet his gaze so Donghyuck threads his fingers through the hair at the back of Mark’s neck to hold him close.

“Not in a bad way– not like–” he fumbles, avoiding Mark’s gaze, “I just mean that maybe we should think about holding off a little, 'cause this is all so new and just– god, stop looking at me like that, I know I suck at this.”

Mark’s lips curl up into a smile, and _oh what the hell,_ Donghyuck thinks as he leans back down to kiss Mark’s stupidly pretty mouth. There’s the quiet hum of Mark’s speaker playing one of Taeil’s new lo-fi songs in the background, the gentle patter of raindrops against the windowsill, the softness of Mark’s hair between his fingertips, and for a moment he can forget everyone telling him how bad an idea this was. _How could anything like this be bad when it felt so damn right?_

“Renjun told us at a party last year,” he tells Mark later, when they finally came back up from the intoxicated rush of their kisses. “He said ‘the craziest pair would be Mark and Hyuck, they couldn’t find the time for a relationship in between all of their arguing’.”

“He only said that after downing three jello shots,” Mark countered, tossing a bit of popcorn in the air and missing his mouth entirely. “Plus, arguing is what got us here in the first place. If you hadn’t started an argument about the safety of an Uber then I never would have taken you to that Mcdonalds on the way home, we never would have had the staring contest, or the argument about whose lips were prettier. Wouldn’t it be kind of fun to prove him wrong?”

Donghyuck went to lay his head on Mark’s shoulder and lasted five seconds longer than he normally would have until he was shoved off. He decided to take it as a success. “I love proving Junnie wrong as much as the next guy, but what about everybody else? I mean, literally no one expected this. Jaehyun said when I left home for uni that the only reason he trusted us to be roommates was because he was sure that you were never going to hit on me.”

“It was you who hit on me first.”

“That’s not the point, Mark!”

“Then what is the point?” _Why does it matter what they think?_ Mark wanted to say. He bit his tongue instead.

“Because– because– because I want to try and figure this all out, and don’t want them watching us and betting on when we’ll finally break.”

Mark frowned. “They wouldn’t do that, Hyuck, you know that.”

“Yeah, well.” He sunk back into the couch cushions in lieu of an answer.

The song switches to one of Jisung’s contemporary dance tracks, a slow, lilting sort of thing, and the violin sings its melody for one beat, then _two, three_ , until Mark says softly, “okay, Hyuck. We can keep it just between us if that’s what you like.”

“Just for now,” Donghyuck whispers gently, sneaking his pinky around Mark’s. “For the record, I don’t want them to be right.”

Mark squeezes his pinky back and it lasts for the entire piano solo. 

“Me neither,” he murmurs back as he pulls away to fetch his mug from the coffee table. 

* * *

“Hyung, did you see when Chenle flew across the court and knocked the ball out of that douchebag’s hands?”

Donghyuck grins and loops an arm over Jisung’s shoulders. “I was right next to you, Sungie.”

“It was so cool,” Jisung whispered quietly, more to himself than anybody else, before shaking his head a little and pushing Donghyuck away. Donghyuck pretends to be offended, with a hand clutched to his chest and a furious pout. _These youngsters really have no respect for their elders._

He only gives up when Mark and Renjun join the group, followed by a sweaty Chenle in his basketball gear. Jisung doesn’t seem to care one bit, wrapping his boyfriend in a hug and congratulating him on all his goals. _Gross,_ he thinks, even though it doesn’t stop him from glancing sideways at Mark. 

Donghyuck reaches for Mark’s hand because he can't help himself. And it’s not that out-of-the-ordinary either way. He always tried to hold Mark’s hand even before they decided it would be fun to sneak away at parties and push each other up against bathroom doors. To slip fingers under clothes and leave trails of bruises down each other’s necks. Before Donghyuck decided that he liked the idea of coming home to Mark a little more than a friend should.

But he hasn’t even finished winding his fingers around Mark’s palm before the _dumbass_ is wiggling out of his grip. Donghyuck resigns himself to trying again when they’re back at home, without so many prying eyes, and instead drills their conversation from the other night into his head. It was Donghyuck’s choice to keep this a secret, he has to deal with its consequences. 

“You know, I could really go for some boba right now,” Donghyuck tells Renjun with a grin.

“You want boba now?” Mark asks with his adorable little head tilt.

“Why not? It’s a beautiful day for it.”

Mark looks up at the grey skies above them with raised eyebrows. Donghyuck ignores him.

“Isn’t it almost three though?” pipes up Renjun.

“So? Prime time for boba if you ask me.”

“Don’t you have class in, like, five minutes?”

“Oh shit.” Donghyuck glances at the time on his phone and then scrambles for his things. “Gotta go, guys,” he shouts. 

As he runs off towards the campus he tries not to think too hard about the way that Mark had dodged the hug he’d just tried to give him. He fails. Luckily however, his professor hasn’t marked attendance yet and Donghyuck slides into his seat before she starts the lesson. He counts that as a win at least.

Learning about stakeholders in educational facilities and using technology within the classroom and adolescent development is almost enough to distract him from it all.

* * *

Here's the thing. When Donghyuck had told Mark that people were dubious of them as a couple, he’d meant it. They’d had a whole lifetime of people telling them how incompatible they would be; even when they were four and Donghyuck had to be put in the silent corner at preschool while Mark drew at his desk and their teacher had sighed over her coffee with a _‘I truly have no idea how you two get along, cut from totally different stones that’s for sure’._

It had taken two whole weeks of middle school for Jeno to realise that they were even friends. _“Mark threw his apple at you yesterday, and then you called him a nerd when he answered a question in English class,”_ Jeno had huffed when they’d invited him to hang out with them after school. _“How was I supposed to know that you actually like each other?”_

 _“We’ve been friends since we were in diapers, it’s obvious,”_ Donghyuck had tried to say.

_“I don’t know if I should have trusted two year old me when he decided to become friends with you.”_

_“You better shut your mouth, Mark Lee.”_

Okay, so maybe Jeno had had a point about the bickering thing. 

But when he’s hiked up on the kitchen bench, legs wrapped around Mark’s waist, he’s ready to prove all of them wrong.

_Damn them to hell, he snatched Mark Lee. He’s winning._

Donghyuck pulls Mark even closer, presses forward until he can swipe his tongue across the bottom of Mark’s lip. Mark lets out a gasp in response, a soft, breathy little thing and Donghyuck can’t help but grin. Why can’t they do this all the time? Making out, feeling each other up, maybe some hand holding in between. So Donghyuck can prove just how much he’s willing to laugh in everyone’s faces, prove how much he’s willing to make this work. 

As Mark pulls away to get some air, Donghyuck can’t help but think that it’s too bad the older’s always pulling away. Or worse, trying to talk instead.

He settles for making sure that their pancakes aren’t burnt.

“They’re delicious, thank you for making breakfast,” Mark tells him with his warm smile that reminds Donghyuck of the sun streaming through the windows. Donghyuck tries to savour it instead of dwelling upon Mark pulling away yet again. Or the fact that Mark’s never initiated any of their kisses. All of it seems lighter in the early morning and with Mark’s sunrise-smile directed right at him.

“Stop looking at me like that,” Mark mumbles as he rinses off their breakfast plates. Donghyuck is swinging his feet back and forth lazily from his spot on the counter.

“And how mustn’t I look at you, Mr Markus?” he taunts with an easy grin.

“With that look in your eyes, the one with all the freaking hearts. Like you want to eat me or something.”

Donghyuck’s smile grows wider. “And why am I not allowed to look at you like this, Mark Lee?” 

Mark won’t look him in the eye, and for a second Donghyuck doesn’t think he’s going to get a response. Then softly, with his gaze still fixed on the world outside their kitchen window getting slowly illuminated by the sun, Mark whispers, “because I won’t be able to ever look away if you do.”

Donghyuck warms and brightens, a sun of his own blooming in his chest.

* * *

“Truth or dare!”

“We’re twenty one not eleven, Jaeminie.”

“The only thing that’s changed between you and eleven year old Donghyuck is that you’re able to drink,” Mark snorts from his spot on the couch.

Donghyuck hits him in the shin and pouts at Jaemin. 

“That stuff don’t work on me, Mister,” Jaemin grins, waving a smug finger at him. 

Donghyuck can’t even protest because Renjun is swinging into sit beside Jaemin on the couch, bottle of liquor in hand and Jeno trailing behind him with shot glasses. “I got alcohol to make it fun! Live a little, Hyuck!”

After only one shot, Jisung is making Mark confess to the one time in seventh grade when he’d been someone’s secret admirer. “Everyone was shocked out of their minds,” Jisung tells them all with a laugh.

“Now I remember,” chimed in Jeno. “Everyone had no idea where it came from because he never was close with her and then _boom_ she started getting these love confession notes out of nowhere. It was hilarious.”

Mark has his face buried in his hands and appears to be trying to become one with the couch cushions. Donghyuck decides to cut the boy some slack and tease Jisung for accidentally tripping over the boy he had a crush on in ninth grade.

Three shots in and after having to lick Jaemin’s foot and confess to having made out with Jungwoo last year— _”that boy is hella fine, I can’t argue with that,” Jeno mumbles_ —Donghyuck is regretting ‘living a little’. But when he tries to lean back against Mark’s legs and gets nudged away, the alcohol dulls the sting until he can almost pretend he never felt a thing.

“You should write me a love letter,” Donghyuck mumbled against Mark’s neck later that night. 

“I wouldn’t be a very secret admirer though,” Mark giggled as Donghyuck’s cold fingers nipped at his waist. “And there wouldn’t be much you didn’t already know in there anyway.”

 _Try me,_ Donghyuck wanted to say, maybe even beg. _‘Cause you keep pulling away and I ain’t got no idea what to think_. Mark’s mouth is too warm against his own for him to even think about voicing any of it however.

* * *

Sunday afternoons are always reserved for their get-togethers. Or, as Donghyuck likes to call them: attempting to stretch the weekend out for all it’s worth. And it gives them an excuse to have all their homework done by in time. But that’s only something nerds like Renjun or Mark would say. 

This weekend they’ve converged at Mark and Donghyuck’s place, because Jaehyun and Johnny are visiting for the weekend and no one wants to miss hanging out with Donghyuck’s brother and his giraffe of a boyfriend. 

Donghyuck is only a little bit put out about the fact that he and Mark didn’t even get to make out last night—Donghyuck had given up his bedroom for Jaehyun and Johnny and was sharing with Mark—because he’d spent the whole evening catching up with the two of them. 

“Sweet dreams, Hyuckie,” Mark had whispered when they’d finally collapsed together on his bed, finally just the two of them. Donghyuck had been too tired for a proper goodnight kiss, reaching over to lace their fingers together instead. Donghyuck let himself enjoy the warmth for a moment, wishing that he had the words to ask Mark to roll over and give him a proper cuddle.

Donghyuck wasn’t even surprised when he woke up a little while later to find his hand empty, Mark hogging all the blankets as he’d managed to roll himself up into a burrito in the sheets.

But he dreamed of light touches and big smiles and warm, wandering hands, instead of all the confusing thoughts swirling around in his head. It’s a happy contrast, so much so that Donghyuck wakes up with a smile on his face. Mark is hovering close by, a strange look on his face. “Shut up, Mark, I’m trying to remember every detail of my dream last night.”

Mark snorts. “But I didn’t even say anything.”

“Shut it.”

“Hyuck, you’re so annoying,” Mark grins, words laced with fondness he can’t conceal, “keep this up and I’ll have to kiss you on those annoying lips of yours.”

It’s Donghyuck’s turn to snort. But he can’t turn down the opportunity, so he flops on his side and grins up at Mark. “Okay, stupid ass,” before pulling Mark down to press a kiss to his silly, perfect mouth.

Their morning in bed however, feels miles away as they prepare for their normal Sunday group get-together. 

Jisung and Chenle arrive early, the latter bouncing on his heels as he talks to Johnny about his place as point guard on the university basketball team. Donghyuck is pulling out snacks from the cupboard, the doorbell calling out to tell them that the terrible trio—Jaemin, Jeno and Renjun—have arrived at last, and everything would be okay, great, _perfect_ even, if Donghyuck could get his brain to shut up.

Because Mark didn’t just dodge out of hand holding, or pull away with some lame excuse this time. Donghyuck had gone to hug Mark, for real because everyone else was out in the hallway and no one could see them in the kitchen. And Mark had pushed him away; had caused Donghyuck stumble a couple of steps away with his shove.

Donghyuck didn’t know how to deal with the spike of pain that flares up between his ribs. He thought this was supposed to change now that they were together. Apparently not.

“Hyuck, hey look at me, I didn’t mean to– to do that, Hyuck–”

Donghyuck ignores Mark in favour of pulling out another bag of chips and dumping them into a bowl. He just wants to hold Mark’s hand. _Why does it have to be this hard?_

“I’m really sorry, I shouldn’t have pushed you–”

His voice cuts off abruptly at the look that Donghyuck shoots him. Donghyuck is sure that they’re something fiery and bright in his eyes, and it takes everything in him to keep his voice to a controlled whisper. “Why aren’t I allowed to touch you, Mark? Why are you always pulling away?”

Mark’s eyes go wide. “I don’t–”

“Yes you do,” Donghyuck bites back, because he can’t deal with ignoring this any longer. “I’m always the one kissing you first, Mark. You would never touch me otherwise.”

“That’s not true.”

“It’s not?” The fire burns a little hotter. “You barely ever initiate affection. How am I supposed to feel when you don’t even seem to want to come near me?”

“That’s not fair–”

“How is this not fair, Mark?” _Why isn’t Mark listening to what he’s trying to say?_ “How am I supposed to know how _you_ feel about _me_ when you refused to get close to me?”

Mark’s mouth drops open. Donghyuck feels oddly close to tears. “How could you even question how I feel? I tell you things all the time? I tell you that–”

“But you’re always pulling away.” Donghyuck can’t keep the fire in check anymore. “You’re supposed to be my boyfriend, can’t I hold my boyfriend’s hand?”

The shock on Mark’s face deepens and his eyebrows pull together. His words, however, hold a bite to them that almost has Donghyuck reeling. “I’m your boyfriend now? You’re finally calling me _your boyfriend?_ ”

“You’ve always been my boyfriend, you idiot.” His heartbeat is pulsing loud and angry in Donghyuck’s chest. “I can’t spend two minutes alone without kissing you, and you think we’re not boyfriends?”

“You’ve never told me though,” and if Donghyuck was a little calmer in that moment he might have noticed the hurt lacing Mark’s words.

“So what if I didn’t?” His voice is rising now, much more than a whisper. “You can't tell that I love you? I mean, I do, but even– You want me to get all lovey dovey with you, Mark? Fine, I can be sappy whenever I want, I don’t give a shit. I love _you_. Fuck off.”

Mark is frozen.

A heartbeat later Donghyuck realises that he’d slowly progressed to yelling. 

In the next heartbeat Donghyuck realises exactly what he just said.

“I– uh–”

A muffled noise from the hallway reminds Donghyuck that there are other people in the house. People who definitely heard what he just shouted.

“You love me?”

Mark’s words are soft and his wide-eyed expression almost hurts to look at.

“You absolute dumbass,” Donghyuck sighs with equal parts exasperation and fondness, but it doesn’t even matter because Mark is pulling him into a kiss, pulling Donghyuck in _first_ for once. Donghyuck’s hands find their place around Mark’s neck and he’s melting, all of his limbs set on fire at once as he sinks into the kiss.

Donghyuck kisses like he’s breaking the surface, like he finally taking in a breath, drinking in air until his lungs are full. Mark winds his arms around Donghyuck’s waist and pulls him right up against him until there’s no space between them. There’s a loud gasp in the background and someone else lets out a loud hoot and a _holy damn_ that sounds suspiciously like Renjun.

It takes a minute for them to finally pull away, and longer for them to even begin explaining any of it to their friends. Jaehyun doesn’t give up the protective brother act until the food arrives half an hour later but Mark doesn’t let go of Donghyuck’s hand once the entire time, so Donghyuck can't bring himself to care. The sun in between Donghyuck's ribs is beaming bright and warm.

“This is like the time in middle school that I found out you two were actually friends,” Jeno says after a moment. Donghyuck cackles and Jaemin demands to hear every detail. When Jeno finishes recounting it all he looks at the two of them and shakes his head. “After remembering it all, now I feel stupid for never having pictured you two together; couples who argue together, stay together, right?”

“That explains the look Mum always gave me when I brought up you and Mark fighting,” Jaehyun says with a laugh. “Told me I shouldn’t worry. That you’d figure it out eventually.”

“Your mother is the only smart one here,” Johnny smiles.

“That’s not fair, all that opposite stuff and arguing? Who was supposed to figure it out?” defends Jisung.

“Haven’t you heard of yin and yang?" Chenle says, "Opposites attract and all that business?”

“Mark, this is too cheesy, can we go back to fighting?”

Mark throws a potato chip at Donghyuck. It's answer enough.

* * *

Donghyuck starts leaving little notes around the house for Mark. A stationary store near their university closed down the other week so Renjun had brought Donghyuck a huge thousand pack of brightly coloured sticky notes as a thank you for helping him study for his ancient history exam. 

Soon there’s little green and pink notes littering the whole front of the fridge door. On a yellow one he writes _‘don’t forget to eat your breakfast ♥’_ and on a blue one he scribbles _‘your glasses are hot, you should wear them more often ;P’._ Sometimes they’re just _‘i love you’._ Other times there are lyrics from something he heard on the radio, or a drawing of something that made him smile that day.

(Donghyuck catches Mark on the couch one morning, holding a couple of them carefully between his fingertips. His long fingers trace carefully over the scribbled words. It makes Donghyuck feel stupid for not noticing it before.)

They had talked about it that night, after everything had blown up in their faces and they’d finally told their friends—even if it was by accident. _“You never told me that you felt any of this, Hyuck,”_ Mark had said, a little forlornly. _“I thought that I could just use my words, tell you how I feel and you would understand. I’m sorry that I didn’t do enough.”_

No, Donghyuck had told him, _“we can both take the blame here. You’re right that I didn’t tell you any of this. I should have told you that you pulling away hurt me. I shouldn’t have just expected you to understand.”_

 _“We both messed up,”_ Mark had laughed wetly from where his nose was pressed into Donghyuck’s shoulder. 

_“But we can fix it.”_

Donghyuck had felt Mark’s grin pressed against his neck and mirrored the smile on his own face.

_“We sure can, Hyuck.”_

They had spent the night curled around each other. Mark didn’t even let go when Donghyuck got up to make breakfast, stealing fruit over his shoulder and trailing his fingers up and down Donghyuck’s side. Johnny and Jaehyun mimed throwing up behind them but Donghyuck just flipped them the bird because _who were they kidding? They were just as bad as he and Mark were. Worse, even._

“God, we’re so cheesy,” cried Mark, as they all prepared to head out and Johnny laughed at them.

“You love it,” teased Donghyuck.

Mark grinned and leaned down to press a quick kiss to his lips in lieu of an answer. Donghyuck didn’t stop smiling all the way to class.

* * *

“You know,” Yuta told them a couple of weeks later at a party, red solo cup in hand and a big grin on his face, “I totally saw it the whole time. All that fighting, that’s some serious sexual tension there.”

Donghyuck threw his head back and laughed so hard that he couldn’t breathe for a second. 

“Well,” Mark whispers in his ear, a hand sliding across Donghyuck’s thigh and breath against his neck making a shiver run down Donghyuck’s spine, “he’s not wrong.”

Donghyuck blushes red and laughs brightly and savours the feeling of Mark’s wide grin against his neck. _Finally someone who knew what was up._

**Author's Note:**

> Soooooo....... that happened.
> 
> Okay, I gotta be serious now. I actually had a blast writing this, a tangent I made one night in the mess of online school and quarantining.
> 
> There's someone I have to thank—alongside the wonderful and god-like [lil](https://twitter.com/baridalive) who inspired this whole thing (ily <3)—so to chu, who I have thanked so many times now and will continue to thank for eternity! You the sweetest and the funniest and I will treasure your little comments forever (I'm not deleting them. If you try to, I will revoke your editing privileges).
> 
> If you made it this far, thank you so much for reading and I really hope you liked it! Stay safe and look after yourselves! <3
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/fiddle_styyx) | [tmblr](https://fiddle-styx.tumblr.com/)


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